Did you run the wire from another outlet in the kitchen? If so, it might already be protected. If there's a GFCI outlet in the kitchen already, try pressing the test button on that outlet and see if you lose power on the new outlet. You might also have a GFCI breaker for all the outlets in your kitchen. If not, then you can just buy a GFCI outlet.
3ft above the range seems like it could easily have liquid splashing up from a pot. It's probably also the code requirement, but you should just do it for safety.